WACKER Expands Polysilicon Capacity at Burghausen

04-Aug-2003

WACKER meets growing demand for solar cells by expanding polysilicon production at its Burghausen plant in Germany. Solar-grade silicon capacity will rise to 2,600 metric tons a year from mid-2004. Thanks to a specially modified deposition process, WACKER will supply the photovoltaic industry with exactly the right starting material for solar cells at low cost.

WACKER will expand existing production operations (construction work is scheduled to start in September 2003) and set up an additional pilot line for solar-grade silicon pellets. Production capacity at WACKER's Burghausen will then reach almost 5000 metric tons of polysilicon annually through silicon deposition from trichlorosilane. Polysilicon is supplied internally to WACKER SILTRONIC (at the Burghausen site) and to external manufacturers of hyperpure silicon wafers and solar cells.

Construction work on the new pilot facility for solar-grade silicon pellets has already started. Commissioning is scheduled for the second half of 2004. As a result, WACKER will be able to exploit new process options for producing silicon crystals for the photovoltaic industry. The facility will manufacture about 100 metric tons/year of solar-grade silicon pellets from trichlorosilane via the fluidized-bed process. Pellets offer specific advantages: they are suited to continuous crystallization processes and reduce the production costs of solar-grade silicon.

WACKER is investing a total of EUR 40 million in the Burghausen expansion project. The investment will ensure enough capacity for solar-grade silicon regardless of prevailing semiconductor trends. The project will create 30 new jobs at Burghausen.

https://www.chemeurope.com/en/news/26885/wacker-expands-polysilicon-capacity-at-burghausen.html